KIJIWENI PRODUCTIONS

International Films | Local Stories

Tapping into Tanzania’s unknown talents and providing a platform to showcase the real issues affecting Tanzania.

About Kijiweni Productions

Kijiweni means the corner stone in Swahili

We are a production house based in Dar es Salaam and like its namesake, we create a platform for all kinds of stories that do justice to a culture of resistance and resilience. To tell our tales from the continent; those that are either unheard of, only whispered about and/or are told from ‘a single story’.

The struggle is strong and we are beginning to bear its fruits

We, as Africans, have been struggling for some time now, to tell these tales and to represent ourselves. As a production house that believes in using cinema to restructure society out of its dark and individualistic nature we also believe in using cinema to critique our spaces as a forum for advocating change.

Kijiweni Productions makes films to tell a different kind of story; one from and for the community, not just a single one.

Amil Shivji founded Kijiweni productions after completing a Bachelors degree in Film Production in Toronto. Story-telling was always a hobby but it was only after a scholarship opportunity came his way, that he ventured into the art of creating images. Works from filmmakers like Sembene, Mambety, Sissako, Eisenstein, Vittorio De Sica cemented his belief in using the camera for social change and it’s also what founded the conceptual principles of Kijiweni Productions.

Kijiweni Films

Take a look at our work so far ...

Kijiweni Team

Priscilla Mlay aka Cece

Creative Supervisor

Priscilla Mlay is a passionate storyteller who has been a part of creative teams that bring stories to life, like CPU (Chld Protection Unit) 2011 and Aisha (2016) to short films Shoeshine, A Fada das Veredas, Samaki Mchangani;Siri ya Mtungi and Mini Buzz.

Wilson Rumisha

Production Manager

BBA Business Administration The University of Namibia (UNAM) | Major: Strategic Marketing Management | Juror on International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) (Zimbabwe)

Amil Shivji

Founder | Film Director

Founder of Kijiweni Productions | Recognized as new generation of Strong African Filmmakers | Lecturer in Film Production at University of Dar es Salaam

Current Project: T-Junction Stage: Funding & Development T-Junction is a story of two girls and their communities. One community...

Clients

I watched 'Samaki Mchangani' with an air of expectation and almost trepidation. Read more

AllAfrica.com, 2014

Shoeshine, cinema and success are some of the proverbial keywords to introduce and get familiar with Amil Shivji, a focused Tanzanian film-maker. His movies echo a voice of the oppressed and his scripts hint on a social issue Read more

Man Magazine TZ, 2015

"... even though I don't make movies for awards, it's definitely nice to receive recognition for them ..."

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Tujiwakilishe | Tujivunie | Tupige Stori

Priscilla Mlay aka Cece

Creative Supervisor

Priscilla Mlay (better known as Cece by her creative family) is a passionate storyteller who has been a part of creative teams that bring stories to life on various media platforms from film to television and radio. She has taken part in a number of projects that have been produced by both Tanzanian and international film-makers, these projects have focused on a wide range of subjects that seek to tackle social, political and historical issues here in Tanzania. Her work ranges from feature length films like CPU (Chld Protection Unit) 2011 and Aisha (2016) to short films Shoeshine, A Fada das Veredas, Samaki Mchangani; popular fictional television drama, Siri ya Mtungi and a television documentary series, Mini Buzz. In all these projects she has undertaken various roles growing her knowledge of the process of production through working under various capacities from Production manager and Script supervisor to 1st Assistant Director and Directing. She is ever eager to keep feeding her creative thirst and pushing the boundaries of Tanzanian stories in all its forms – on and off the screen.

About Wilson | Production Manager

Amil Shivji

Founder | Film Director

About Amil | Film Director

Honors Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree from York University (Canada) Cum Laude | Founder of Kijiweni Productions | Recognized as new generation of Strong African Filmmakers | Lecturer at University of Dar es Salaam – Film Production